The largest and most ambitious single fundraising appeal in the history of The Wildlife Trusts has now reached £20.7m thanks to the generous support of over 23,000 donors, including several high value pledges. 

While daily donations are helping to make important strides towards the total, it’s now ‘crunch time’ for The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust. The project, backed by Sir David Attenborough, needs a momentous final effort from nature lovers around the UK and beyond to push the appeal over the finishing line. 

The 9,500-acre Rothbury Estate in Northumberland—the largest piece of land to come to market in England for over 30 years—stands at a historic turning point, after more than seven centuries in the ownership of the Percy family. 

A haven for some of the country’s most iconic wildlife including red squirrel and cuckoo, and a place steeped in human history, The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust have just over two months remaining to raise £30 million to secure the purchase of the entire Estate.

With the deadline fast approaching, what happens next will shape the fate of this land for generations. With permissions in place for commercial forestry on large parts of the Estate should the appeal be unsuccessful, the future for the landscape and the nature that calls it home sits in the balance. 

Craig Bennett OBE, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, says: 

“We’ve been bowled over by the response to the appeal to secure this beautiful and inspiring place, with funding and offers of help pouring in from all over the UK and further afield. We’ve still got a bit of a climb to get to the summit, but the thousands of messages of personal support show just how strongly people feel about The Rothbury Estate and believe in our vision for its future, and I feel sure we can do it.

“With just over two months remaining, we are steadfast in our determination to secure the estate for people and nature. Together, we can reach the £30 million needed to purchase this remarkable Northumberland landscape and to create a place where nature and communities can thrive side by side. In the words of Sir David Attenborough, ‘Please help us make this vision a reality.’”

Throughout the fundraising campaign, donations from £5 to £5 million have been received from far and wide. In recent weeks, just some of the generous donations received include: 

• Well-known North East brand Ringtons is helping to brew up a brighter future for The Rothbury Estate with a £50,000 donation that was used to help generate further funds through a public facing match-funded appeal.
• A Northumberland cycling club - the Cycling Cranks - have gifted £1,000 to the appeal and are advising on how future access to the Estate might change to help enable more people to enjoy its spectacular views, hidden valleys and vibrant rivers.
• The Samworth Foundation, an East Midlands based foundation who fund efforts to help people and nature worldwide, have given £650,000. 

This summer, The Wildlife Trusts are asking everyone to stand shoulder to shoulder with Sir David Attenborough, President Emeritus of The Wildlife Trusts and a supporter of the campaign and help make the long-term vision for this amazing place a reality: a place where people and nature can flourish together.

To find out more about The Rothbury Estate and to donate, please visit www.wildlifetrusts.org/appeals/rothbury-estate-nature-and-nation

About The Rothbury Estate:

The Rothbury Estate offers an unprecedented opportunity to protect and restore habitats for rare wildlife such as curlew, pine martens, beavers and golden eagles, as well as provide resilience against the ever-changing climate.

As the country battles the current period of prolonged hot and dry weather, and with drought now declared across almost three-quarters of England, The Rothbury Estate has the potential to use our greatest ally in tackling climate impacts; nature. Peatland and river corridor restoration, alongside woodland pasture creation, will enable the landscape to store more water and become more resilient to prolonged dry spells, whilst also preventing flash floods during periods of extreme rainfall and protecting livestock and soil health during extreme heat.

These benefits for local people are supported by our plans for farming, which has been an integral part of the history of the Estate for centuries; we are committed to it remaining at the heart of our future plans.

For the area beyond the Estate’s boundaries, this project will carry real significance. If successful, the appeal will place The Rothbury Estate at the beating heart of a vision for a 40-mile nature corridor across Northern England. Stretching from Druridge Bay on the Northumberland Coast to the Scottish English Border at Kielderhead, this corridor would cover 210,000 acres and provide an opportunity to create something truly transformational for nature, climate and people.